I have only ever owned Balls, and wondered what y’alls opinions would be on which species of snake to get next? Let me know your experiences!
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I vote for a hognose! They are quite dramatic, small and fairly easy to care for! I was like you in just having bp until I read a post about someone’s hognose, with photos, and did plenty of research before deciding that I was going to search for the morph I wanted. I was very picky about the morph and as luck would have it, I saw what I was looking for, and I love him! He is such a joy to own!
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What are you looking for? There are so many variables that determine what would suit you best. Make sure you get what you want!
Some I would look into though are- bull snakes, Texas rat snakes (don’t listen to what people say about attitudes), blood/STPs, sand boas, BCIs, Angolan pythons, rosy boas, carpet pythons, ATBs, garters, house snakes, spotted/children pythons, death adder, dwarf (50%+) burm, dumurals boa, Asian vine snake, corn snake, and pretty much any milk/king snake.
For narrowing down/ adding other options then what you are looking for is, again, going to be really helpful!
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I 100% recommend a boa, if you like snakes that get a little bit bigger. They are garbage disposals when it comes to eating. They have a wonderful feeding response but also the most amazing personalities when it comes to handling. 99% of the time they want just to be with you and like to be held and explore. My future boa breeder, so I am a bit bias though. Also so many beautiful morphs if you like those!
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Think about what direction you want to take. Based on your experience with balls and husbandry, you can decide what snake to get.
Some things to consider:
-Do you want a larger snake or smaller snake?
-Do you want a snake you can hold and interact with or a display animal?
-Do you want a more challenging snakes that requires more expertise in maintaining husbandry?
-Do you want an arboreal or terrestrial snake?
-Do you want a constrictor or a colubrid?
-Do you want a more feisty snake or one that has a reputation of being docile and easily handable?
-Do you have space for a super large enclosure or a smaller enclosure?
…the list could go on. Based on your lifestyle and commitment make that decision. Don’t get a snake because everyone is getting it. Get something that you genuinely like. That you can admire and appreciate. There are so many snake species to choose from. Do your research and once you make a decision, enjoy your new snake!
Some snake species you could consider if you currently have experience with balls could be:
Corn Snake
Milk Snake
King Snake
Garter Snake
Rat Snake
Boa Constrictor
Hog Nose Snake
Bull Snake
Carpet Python
Sand Boa
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Thanks all! I would definitely say I like big snakes, and i love to handle them and make a relationship.
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I have a feeling you’re going to get a lot of suggestions to get a boa. They seem to tick many of your boxes, and based on my limited experience, they are incredible animals!
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Depending on just how big you want to go, I think a short tailed python or a boa would be a great choice. Short tails are not going to get much longer than a ball python, but they’ll get a lot thicker and heavier. You basically get the girth of a giant snake in a very manageable length.
Boas are also fantastic and give you quite a range of sizes to choose from. The smallest dwarf localities are only going to average slightly longer than a bp, while the largest localities can get 10+ feet. A female BI of mixed locality (in other words, most morph boas) is probably going to get 7-8’ and be pretty girthy, so you’ll get a snake that’s large enough to be substantial and impressive without being unreasonable to house or manage.
I love big snakes but don’t have the space for a true giant, so I got a blood python and a boa (both female), and I adore them both. The boa will get about as big as I can realistically accommodate right now. Big without being too crazy. And I love my short and chonky blood girl. I can’t say enough good things about either species. Either would be a great choice.
Edited to add that both boas and STPs have similar husbandry requirements to balls. Slightly higher humidity for both (I aim for 60-75%), and you’re going to want slightly cooler overall temps for a short tail, but if you’re used to balls, you shouldn’t have any problems managing the husbandry requirements for boas or STPs.
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